crossarmant wrote:I think the main, and most troubling, part is that regardless of how a merger plays out, the damage has been done to the law school for the next several foreseeable years. I mean, they're trying to fill a 250 person class and yet only 10% of that have even deposited, which they may change their mind before August. The numbers of the class have fallen a long way, students and faculty are fleeing, applications have taken a nose-dive, and employment statistics are getting worse and worse each year. RU-C already fell 15 spots this year even before the merger talk, so next year they are without a doubt going to be balls deep in the TTT range which is going to be very very difficult to claw out of. I just fear that despite all this rampant blind optimism, the worst may still happen regardless of whether it is called Rutgers or Rowan.

I think that the merger is definitely dead, truly no one likes it and it will not be realized the way Christie envisions. However again there may be a strong collaboration between Rowan and Rutgers, and possibly talks about combining them as "Rutgers South." Rowan's name has been dragged threw the mud in recent months, they have mismanaged there accounts and debt, they have only interim management (no one wants to be the president), they misrepresented SAT scores, they had a "secret operation" to hide facts from the media, they hired an out of state school to do the report (big no no), and are viewed as a hostile force trying to hurt a school that many in NJ have lots of pride in. At this point I do not even think that Rutgers faculty want to even collaborate with Rowan because of the bad blood that has tarnished this relationship, however if they are forced to it may happen as a consortium.

As for Rutgers hurting from this, that is definitely true. The whole system has suffered because people do not think that the school is as rock solid as they previously thought. Folks in Newark are worried that they maybe next. People here do realize that as long as we keep the name the law school can be salvaged and will maintain a similar rank as its sister school in Newark. We need Christie to just come out and finally let everyone know that the school will not lose its connection to Rutgers. This may take time because he needs to find a way to spin it where it does not look like he is contradicting himself.

However with the help of Lautenberg and many many others I do not think anyone has anything to worry about in the long run. The school has plenty of time to salvage its class, and for a fact I know that they are willing to forgo a big class in-order to maintain quality students, even with the big economic loss in tuition. Rutgers NB has indicated to the Camden folks to maintain standards and not to worry to much about the economics, that they would help flip the bill to maintain the reputation of the schools students.

Scottie2Hottie wrote:Any guesses unto what this will do to the rankings next year?No effect/stop the downward slope/up/down

Unlikely the stop of the merger will do anything for helping the huge slip in the rankings it'll take next year. The c/o 2015 have already deposited and the employment stats even before the merger were on a grossly downward trend. It'll probably be a few more years until it's back up to where it was, if it gets there at all.

See, this is why Christie's bullying tactics are no good. If he had been more open to compromise originally and not such an asshole and a half about it, they could've worked something out a lot sooner. I'm also not surprised about the small enrollment number. Law school enrollment is down in general and people are definitely scared away by the merger BS.

So it looks like Rutgers will remain in South Jersey. Rutgers NB will have full academic control and governance over the school. Professors will be tenured and Students will continue to get Rutgers Degree's. Future construction projects especially focusing on health and bio sciences will be done through a joint board. Its looking good for Rutgers Camden, there will be much more development in town, more students, more opportunities for cross decipline degrees, and most of all much more money staying at Rutgers Camden.

It will take time to bounce back from all the damage that this threat of a full on merger would have had, but since that is now behind us, the school needs to continue to focus on bringing top students and must start investing heavily in graduate housing, the library expansion project, and some more top flight faculty.

I think next year our rankings will prob stay similar, maybe a small bounce back, but in two years we will be moving up. Furthermore talks of combining Rutgers Camden and Newark are now on the fast track. These two schools maybe merging sooner then expected, so try to get into Rutgers Camden now while you can, because the schools selectivity will sky rocket once that happens.

BostonNJ wrote:So it looks like Rutgers will remain in South Jersey. Rutgers NB will have full academic control and governance over the school. Professors will be tenured and Students will continue to get Rutgers Degree's. Future construction projects especially focusing on health and bio sciences will be done through a joint board. Its looking good for Rutgers Camden, there will be much more development in town, more students, more opportunities for cross decipline degrees, and most of all much more money staying at Rutgers Camden.

It will take time to bounce back from all the damage that this threat of a full on merger would have had, but since that is now behind us, the school needs to continue to focus on bringing top students and must start investing heavily in graduate housing, the library expansion project, and some more top flight faculty.

I think next year our rankings will prob stay similar, maybe a small bounce back, but in two years we will be moving up. Furthermore talks of combining Rutgers Camden and Newark are now on the fast track. These two schools maybe merging sooner then expected, so try to get into Rutgers Camden now while you can, because the schools selectivity will sky rocket once that happens.

This is new information. Where are you getting this news from? And if they are "combined" where will the actual law school be located? Camden? Newark? New Brunswick? Barnegat lighthouse? (oh God please let the last one happen, I would love to go to school on the beach).

BostonNJ wrote:I think next year our rankings will prob stay similar, maybe a small bounce back, but in two years we will be moving up. Furthermore talks of combining Rutgers Camden and Newark are now on the fast track. These two schools maybe merging sooner then expected, so try to get into Rutgers Camden now while you can, because the schools selectivity will sky rocket once that happens.

This is new information. Where are you getting this news from? And if they are "combined" where will the actual law school be located? Camden? Newark? New Brunswick? Barnegat lighthouse? (oh God please let the last one happen, I would love to go to school on the beach).

I haven't read anything about Camden and Newark merging, and considering how diligent I've been on Rutgers' current events I'm inclined to believe it's totally false.

"Rutgers University could have the finest public law school in the Northeast, if we maintain our ties to the University. As President McCormick knows, long before the University of Medicine and Dentistry Advisory Committee began its work, the Schools of Law in Camden and Newark were actively pursuing avenues of cooperation with the aim of ultimately creating “Rutgers Law”, which all agree would have a presence in New Brunswick. That process is on- going – indeed, we held a faculty meeting just last Monday to discuss the next steps – and it holds the promise of raising the national stature of legal education and scholarship at Rutgers to unprecedented heights. Accepting the Committee’s merger recommendation would not simply undo all of the progress that we have made in the service of Rutgers on this front, it would preempt this extraordinary opportunity for the University. Rutgers could have an elite public law school, placing it in league with the finest state research universities, all of which have first-class law schools. But this can only be realized if Rutgers Law combines the strengths of the law schools in both Camden and Newark."

As a NJ resident, I would support that so fast. Better yet, it would help conserve state resources in that instead of having to pay $$$ for two law schools, they'd only have to support one. I could see a Rutgers Law (NB) ending up along the lines of a strong regional school like UMN, Wisconsin, UNC or UIUC (pre-scandal).

keg411 wrote:As a NJ resident, I would support that so fast. Better yet, it would help conserve state resources in that instead of having to pay $$$ for two law schools, they'd only have to support one. I could see a Rutgers Law (NB) ending up along the lines of a strong regional school like UMN, Wisconsin, UNC or UIUC (pre-scandal).

+1000. But seriously, could we have the single Rutgers Law on the beach?

keg411 wrote:As a NJ resident, I would support that so fast. Better yet, it would help conserve state resources in that instead of having to pay $$$ for two law schools, they'd only have to support one. I could see a Rutgers Law (NB) ending up along the lines of a strong regional school like UMN, Wisconsin, UNC or UIUC (pre-scandal).

+1000. But seriously, could we have the single Rutgers Law on the beach?

keg411 wrote:As a NJ resident, I would support that so fast. Better yet, it would help conserve state resources in that instead of having to pay $$$ for two law schools, they'd only have to support one. I could see a Rutgers Law (NB) ending up along the lines of a strong regional school like UMN, Wisconsin, UNC or UIUC (pre-scandal).

+1000. But seriously, could we have the single Rutgers Law on the beach?

All in favor of Rutgers - LBI?

Aye aye! But in all seriousness, a single Rutgers Law is actually a fantastic idea, as opposed to the fucking mess that Christie is trying to create by merging RU-C into Rowan.

keg411 wrote:As a NJ resident, I would support that so fast. Better yet, it would help conserve state resources in that instead of having to pay $$$ for two law schools, they'd only have to support one. I could see a Rutgers Law (NB) ending up along the lines of a strong regional school like UMN, Wisconsin, UNC or UIUC (pre-scandal).

+1000. But seriously, could we have the single Rutgers Law on the beach?

All in favor of Rutgers - LBI?

It's too bad Monmouth University is a private school or they could use those buildings if y'all really want Rutgers Law - Jersey Shore .

keg411 wrote:As a NJ resident, I would support that so fast. Better yet, it would help conserve state resources in that instead of having to pay $$$ for two law schools, they'd only have to support one. I could see a Rutgers Law (NB) ending up along the lines of a strong regional school like UMN, Wisconsin, UNC or UIUC (pre-scandal).

+1000. But seriously, could we have the single Rutgers Law on the beach?

All in favor of Rutgers - LBI?

It's too bad Monmouth University is a private school or they could use those buildings if y'all really want Rutgers Law - Jersey Shore .

If MU was a public school and we did end up with Rutgers Law - Jersey Shore, I'd expect you to transfer back keg411.

keg411 wrote:As a NJ resident, I would support that so fast. Better yet, it would help conserve state resources in that instead of having to pay $$$ for two law schools, they'd only have to support one. I could see a Rutgers Law (NB) ending up along the lines of a strong regional school like UMN, Wisconsin, UNC or UIUC (pre-scandal).

+1000. But seriously, could we have the single Rutgers Law on the beach?

BostonNJ wrote:I think next year our rankings will prob stay similar, maybe a small bounce back, but in two years we will be moving up. Furthermore talks of combining Rutgers Camden and Newark are now on the fast track. These two schools maybe merging sooner then expected, so try to get into Rutgers Camden now while you can, because the schools selectivity will sky rocket once that happens.

This is new information. Where are you getting this news from? And if they are "combined" where will the actual law school be located? Camden? Newark? New Brunswick? Barnegat lighthouse? (oh God please let the last one happen, I would love to go to school on the beach).

I haven't read anything about Camden and Newark merging, and considering how diligent I've been on Rutgers' current events I'm inclined to believe it's totally false.